Owning Multiples of the Same Guitar

[Stratcat77]

I just did this. I’ve had a few Taylors. Still own an 814ce and 816ce. They are similar but I use the 816ce on gigs. 814ce stays home because it’s the only one I got new and was a gift from my wife. It’s my couch guitar.

The actual duplicate I just bought is a second 426ce Tasmanian Blackwood. It’s become my favorite guitar to gig with and when I got the chance to get another one for a great price I grabbed it. Not sure how smart that move was?? I now have a back up if anything ever happens to my favorite. Time will tell if that was a silly move and I end up selling!

[Skarsaune]

Hmmm... in acoustics I lean to dreadnoughts, and I have them in different flavors - 12 fret mahogany, 14 fret short scale walnut, 14 fret long scale oak, 14 fret long scale EIR.

The only thing I have (near) duplicates of is Telecaster style electrics.

[sinistral]

The closest I got to having two of the same guitar at the same time was a pre-reimagined HD-28 and a reimagined HD-28. Very similar, but not identical. The next closest was having six D-18 variants at the same time (Standard Series D-18 (reimagined), D-18 Modern Deluxe, D-18 Authentic 1937, Collings D1A and two Pre*War Guitars Co. Model Ds (one with a vintage neck and one with a modern neck)). Again, a lot of similarities, but ultimately six different guitars. Come to think of it, the two PWGC guitars are probably closer to each other than the HD-28s. They were built 7 years apart so sound quite different, and one is a natural top and the other a shade top, so there is that…

[Jdogblues]

At one point I had something like 5-6 Waterloo's in the 00 size trying to figure out the best sounding one. In the end, it was sort of maddening cause they were all great and pretty much did the same sort of thing.

[markcrawford]

I have two Martin CEO7s. I do like to have one when the other is in the shop. I bring them both to certain gigs with different tunings. I got two because I like the guitar for live use especially. I tried to find one with a natural top and different back and sides but I could not. I got a good deal on the second one so I scooped it up. I have a Collings CJ35 for a bigger guitar. I love it but I use my CEO7s more for gigs....just so comfy and they sound great. I am actually thinking of trading my big CJ35 for a used C10-35....I love the big guitar, which is why I bought it, but smaller guitars are sooooo much more comfortable.

[Jim Owen]

I have 2 000 18s. At one point, that made sense—one was strictly house bound (a 65). The other (2004), I gigged.

But I play so few real gigs now, the redundancy strikes me as pointless. I’ll move one along.

I also have a vintage strat and a newer one. Again, I need to part ways with one.

But when I was playing out more, redundancy made sense as it kept my best gear out of harm’s way.

[rllink]

You are looking for another guitar for what reason, what do you want to do with it? Would you do something different with the same guitar if you had one, because you can't play them both at the same time. If you are looking for justification, it seems to me another Hummingbird fills a niche that is already filled. If you just want to possess more Hummingbirds, that's a whole different issue, no justification needed. Buy as many as you can afford and display them proudly.

[abn556]

My acoustics are all somewhat different from each other in woods, body size, etc… I do however have 3 Gibson Les Pauls, 2 Gibson SGs, and 2 Strats that are all similar enough to each other. The do differ somewhat - by flame tops and finish colors on the LPs, colors on the SGs and Strats, and pickups so they are not exactly the same.

[stringbound]

I own two Taylor 914ce, a Taylor C14ce (914ce with charcoal top) and an Alvarez MGA66CEARSHB. All are grand auditorium size with armrest. The 914ce is my main guitar, the C14ce is the spare. The Alvarez is what I consider my beach guitar. I want my guitars to sound the same and, even more important, play the same. To me, owning the same guitar at least twice makes perfect sense.

[jaymarsch]

I have two guitars that are the same model by the same maker but they are different in a number of key aspects.
My 2013 Kramer Prairie Grass is a red spruce and Bois de Rose long scale with ebony fingerboard and bridge while my 2019 Kramer Prairie Grass is a German spruce and Honduran mahogany short scale with Brazilian fingerboard and bridge and a slightly deeper body. Both guitars have wonderful balance and note separation but the mahogany one leans towards a more fundamental tone.
So, I guess in my case, it is more akin to owning both a Martin 000-18 and an OM-28 than owning 2 Hummingbirds.
It does make sense to me for someone who loves guitars and plays a lot to have a second of the same model. When one needs maintenance or repairs, you’ve got the other one to play.
Best,
Jayne

[Roy Earle]

Between my father, brother, and I we have 4 of the same guitar. Yamaha FG335ii. Mine was my brothers first acoustic, its also the most played and as I usually joke about it, the most educated with 4+ years of college guitar ensemble classes.

Later on my brother purchased another FG335ii. Its in excellent condition. Then my dad wanted one. My brother bought him one that arrived busted from shipping so after a brief search another one was located. My dads has a bunch of signatures on it, I'm not a fan of that but I did see Robert earl keens name under the bridge.

So there's that.

[Pickcity]

Originally Posted by rmp

I am surprised a J200 hasn't been mentioned as a contender for #2.

I get the reluctance to buy another one, but hey its your dough if you want a second hummingbird by cracky, do it.

no rules here.

I'd wager while the two are of the same make, they will still be two different guitars. maybe by a small margin, but there will be variances.

I have been planning on adding a burst SJ200 to go along with my blonde SJ. If I’m going to have 2 of the same guitar, it might as well be the SJ200.

[hiddenmickey]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

I applaud you liking one model so much that it fills your every need, does everything you want. But then I question why anyone would want another. Unless it's to have something to play while one is in the shop or, perhaps, you really want to compare strings.

My Hummingbird was a gift from my mom, so it's sentimental to me and I keep it out of harms way. However, as I've been looking for another guitar that I can take out and about it's become clear to me that the Hummingbird is my guitar sound. I wouldn't get another standard or original, but perhaps a studio rosewood or 1960 reissue with the fixed bridge.

[Bob Womack]

I've only owned two of one model of guitar: a Gibson Les Paul. I bought my first use back in 1977. It was a 1974 Kalamazoo Small Script Standard, from the period before the "Standard" model even existed. It is a great guitar but it weights 9.8 pounds. There are lots of gigs, memories, and music stored inside this one.


After I hit about fifty-five years of age it started becoming heavier and heavier - much more than I wanted to sling for a whole gig. I also became acquainted with a lovely, sweet, ES-335. I started seeking out a lighter, sweeter brother for the 1974. I tried some less expensive types but in 2018 I came across a really nice, weight-relieved Standard model that weighed two pounds less while on vacation (it always seems to happen that way) and eventually bought it. So, two of the same model, separated by forty-four years.

The pickups on the '74 are T-Tops, sweeter, more midrangy, and lower output than the 2018. However, the overall sound of the 2018 is sweeter than that of the 1974. By contrast, its pickups are HOT, scooped, and more aggressive. It has that character that some refer to as "a Tele on Steroids." Both do sessions.

Bob

[Planemaker]

If I may suggest a very similarly built but visually different guitar, a Gibson Country & Western.